MARIETTA, Ga., April 12th, 2011 — Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] completed delivery of the second production C-5M Super Galaxy at a ceremony here Monday with a crew from Dover Air Force Base, Del.

The fifth C-5M overall to be delivered to the Air Force, this aircraft will undergo internal paint restoration at Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y., before traveling to its home base at Dover.

Maj. Gen. James T. Rubeor, commander of the 22nd Air Force, Air Force Reserve, said in a statement: “Though it’s still early, the operational accomplishments of the C-5M in such a short amount of time are extraordinary. Obviously, this is a tremendous investment for the Air Force. With this fifth Super Galaxy, we’re adding a new level of capability to the equation for determining how strategic airlift is used in both present and future contingency operations.”

Lockheed Martin is on contract to modernize a total of 52 C-5s, consisting of 49 B-, two C- and one A-model aircraft through the Reliability Enhancement and Re-Engining Program (RERP). The program incorporates more than 70 changes and upgrades, including newer, quieter General Electric engines making the C-5M more reliable and 10 percent more fuel efficient than legacy C-5s. Three test aircraft were delivered and flown before the modernization program entered full production.

The Super Galaxy is America’s premier global direct delivery weapon system and the only strategic airlifter capable of linking the homeland directly to the warfighter in all theaters of combat without refueling. The C-5M recently delivered 3,300 tons of helicopters to Afghanistan with a mission capable rate of nearly 90 percent.

The C-5M’s demonstrated improvements in performance and efficiency validate the value to the taxpayer of modernizing proven and viable aircraft. The C-5 can carry twice the cargo of other strategic airlift systems and is the only strategic airlifter capable of carrying 100 percent of certified air-transportable cargo.

Source and photo: Lockheed Martin